News: Prime Seating: Details of ‘One Good Chair’ 2010 Design Competition Revealed
02.03.10
(LAS VEGAS)—Could you design a chair that is almost nothing and almost everything at the same time? That’s the question being asked by the Sustainable Furnishings Council and Las Vegas Design Center at World Market Center Las Vegas.
Today, in conjunction with the One Good World program, the Sustainable Furnishings Council outlined details for the 2010 One Good Chair design competition. This year’s theme, “Minimum/Maximum,” challenges designers to create something that’s not only sustainable (i.e. using minimal material) but also comfortable (maximal delight).
"One of the challenges to the sustainability movement is sacrificing comfort for eco-friendly design. The One Good Chair design competition aims to put designers to the test and create a chair that expresses the best of both worlds—smart design and leisurely delight,” said Susan Inglis, executive director of the Sustainable Furnishings Council.
This year marks the third annual One Good Chair competition, which is sponsored by Las Vegas Design Center at World Market Center Las Vegas and the Sustainable Furnishings Council.
The deadline for entry is May 1, 2010 and the fee for entry is $30 ($60 for last minute entries after May 1 but prior to June 15). Early supporters of the 2010 One Good Chair competition include Dwell magazine as a media sponsor along with manufacturers Handy Living and Weyerhaeuser, serving as production partners.
Inglis said that the goal of this year’s “Minimum/Maximum” theme is to demonstrate that smart design can not only minimize consumption, but at the same time maximize comfort. She invited designers to minimize material, production, shipping and assembly while maximizing comfort, utility, durability and beauty in their product.
A distinguished panel of judges will select the 2010 winners and announce them at the Summer 2010 Market in August. Winners will then collaborate with members of Sustainable Furnishings Council to create a prototype, which will be on display at Winter Market 2011.
Above all, practicality is key in 2010. The guiding principles of One Good Chair 2010 include “look good, feel good, make good.” Inglis suggested that designers keep the following in mind:
Make good: Think about material conservation. How can shape optimize resources in design, fabrication, and shipping? What forms create little waste but lots of taste?
Feel good: Consider physical comfort. How can shape aid the body in the act of sitting? How do different people sit? How might they?
Look good: Strive for emotional resonance. What kinds of images create emotional bond between viewer and product? What is the intersection of sustainability and sensuality?
Margaret Casey, director of programming for World Market Center Las Vegas and a founding member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, said, “This is an international design program and we get entries from all over the world,” said Inglis. Previous winners came from both amateurs and professionals across Europe, Latin America and North America. “Diversity of the previous contestants and entries has stimulated a lot of interest in the competition itself, and the wide variety of designs has attracted the attention of some manufacturers as well as of the media.”
The competition is a part of World Market Center’s Brave New World Environmental Leadership Series. Visit www.onegoodchair.com www.LasVegasMarket.com or www.sustainablefurnishings.org for more information.
About World Market Center Las Vegas
World Market Center Las Vegas is an integrated home and hospitality contract furnishings showroom and trade complex. The state-of-the-art campus showcases furniture, decorative accessories, gift, lighting, area rugs, home textiles and related segments, as well as the Las Vegas Design Center (LVDC), now open daily to consumers and designers. World Market Center currently hosts the biannual Las Vegas Market™, the preeminent total home market. Additionally, making its debut in February 2010, INSPIREDESIGNTM at World Market Center represents a dynamic alternative for manufacturers and companies serving the hospitality design marketplace. In 2010, World Market Center will launch the inaugural Gift + Home™ show catering to the gift, decorative accessory and seasonal industries along with Vegas KidsTM which will provide youth furniture, juvenile products, toy and game, children’s books, children’s apparel and gift. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.
For more information on World Market Center Las Vegas, visit www.LasVegasMarket.com.
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